The adverts that cost $7m for 30 seconds

Steve Howell of sports marketing agency Dark Horses takes us through this year’s Super Bowl LIX ads, featuring Beckham, Keoghan and Meg Ryan

It’s a strange time for brands wishing to advertise. Technology designed to help consumers avoid commercials has never been more pervasive, whatever medium you choose. 

There are adblocker apps, browser extensions, unsubscribing buttons, skip buttons, cookie opt-outs – the list goes on. Streaming platforms such as YouTube and Netflix now charge the customer if they don’t wish to see adverts, all while still charging the brand to advertise. It’s almost a bit of a racket. 

But there is one moment in the year when all that changes. One moment, when the world – well, mainly the USA – decides that, actually, the ads are worth a watch.

They’re talked about on TV shows, shared among friendship groups online and even tracked to see the brand impression efficacy in real time. It is, of course, the Super Bowl. 

At a cost of $7m for just 30 seconds of airtime (never mind the production costs and talent fees), who are the brands you should skip the skip button for and indulge with your unbridled attention?

Super Bowl’s Dave and David 

Stella Artois uses its ambassador, David Beckham, with the most unexpected twist yet in the hackneyed Beckham story.

Joined by his parents (played by actors) in a bar, it’s revealed to him that he was actually separated at birth from his twin brother – “Other David”, as they humorously called him – who turns out to be Hollywood star Matt Damon.

This is one definitely not to be skipped.

Add the mayo

Hellmann’s Mayonnaise has recreated the 1989 film, When Harry met Sally, specifically that scene where Meg Ryan demonstrates how effortlessly a woman can appear pleasured by a man, only this time it’s because of the mayo in Meg’s sandwich.

With Billy Crystal looking on awkwardly (again), it reassembled the cast of the original.

The set-up is extremely predictable, though, but if you’re a Harry Met Sally fan you’ll probably enjoy the self-referentialness of the scenario. 

Super-cute animal ad

A super-cute animal always does well in Super Bowl commercials, and the finance tool app, NerdWallet, has enlisted an adorable talking beluga whale as its cute animal of choice.

Beluga whales are purported to have the same IQ as a human genius, which for a brand helping you with your finances, suddenly makes sense as to why it’s their chosen mascot.

The CGI is impressive and the humour is not overly brash, which makes for a well-rounded commercial.

Beer on tap

It wouldn’t be the superbowl without a Budweiser commercial, and this year they’ve stuck with their iconic Clydesdale horse as the main protagonist.

In years gone by they’ve opted for the schmaltz approach, deriving a lot of success – if a little twee for some.

But this year they’ve gone for a more entertaining angle, still maintaining a level of nostalgia with their equine cast, but with some humour layered on top.

It works well, and well worth unplugging your adblocker plug-ins for.

Saltburn Barry

Finally, Ireland’s new darling of Hollywood, Barry Keoghan, is reunited with his The Banshees of Inisherin co-star for Squarespace. No, it’s not Colin Farrell but Don Mosley, the donkey, of course. Keoghan is in a quaint little bar with Don Mosley, building a website for his donkey friend to help him attract more film work. 

For such a simple set-up, Keoghan carries the film well, albeit as you’d expect him too, delivering the rather laborious task of building a website with wit and in such a conversational tone it makes you think a lot of it was ad-libbed.

It’s got enough of the charm and absurdity of Martin McDonagh’s film to make you think that if all adverts were like this, you wouldn’t need a skip button.

Steve Howell is chief creative officer at agency Dark Horses.